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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160807T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160807T163000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160628T145328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160912T215354Z
UID:5158-1470580200-1470587400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Writing Songs\, Writing Stories
DESCRIPTION:WAG member\, successful author\, and architect Ron Hasse had this to say about Crummer’s August 7 presentation: \n“Art Crummer has a magical way of combining music with wise words about writing. He told us how to write a first sentence and why. His talk had a lot to do with comic reality. He’s a great storyteller whether as an author or a troubadour. He has a knack for explaining how to organize our storytelling in ways that parallel songwriting—first line/story arc/resolution—in words and in chords. Art says a rant is not a song! Good advice to all writers. Clichés should be avoided. You are not the best judge of your own work; you need criticism and feedback—join a pod.” \nTruly\, Art presented an entertaining program as he described and demonstrated the essential elements common to successful songs and stories from the writer’s perspective. He addressed several song types including narrative\, humorous\, political\, poetic\, message\, mystical\, religious\, and taboo. He generously shared his notes; they may be seen by clicking here. \nArt is the winner of ten blue ribbons in the Florida Old-Time Championships in singing and in multiple instruments. He has produced two instructional booklets and three musical CD’s and has written numerous original songs in addition to publishing Book 1 of a trilogy Fixing Things. He is past president of the Writers Alliance\, teaches guitar\, and writes poetry\, creative memoir\, and fiction. He is working on the second book of his trilogy and regularly returns to the Piedmont region of Western North Carolina\, the locale of his novel Wrestling God\, which is available on Amazon. He and his wife live in Gainesville.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/writing-songs-writing-stories/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ArtCrummer2-169x200.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160710T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160710T143000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160507T185110Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170318T115551Z
UID:4585-1468161000-1468161000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Getting Your Work Noticed
DESCRIPTION:Mohana Rajakumar shared with us a host of ideas to help market our writing\, methods that have worked for her. She based her presentation on establishing your “Brand Story” by answering three questions: \n\nWhat are you passionate about?\nWho do you want to read your book? What types of readers will find value in your work? Why? How will you connect emotionally with your readers? Why should they care?\nHow can you use your strength? How is your work different from that of others? How do you wish your reader would describe your work to a friend?\n\nYour brand. The first step in your marketing campaign is to define your brand\, including not only an image but a tag-line\, motto\, or slogan. This will be your image for your readers. It must be visually consistent—same colors\, same fonts\, same logo or photo—everywhere you present your writerly self. \nYour media. Choose the appropriate social media to reach your readers. Choose those you will update on a regular basis\, weekly or oftener\, to keep their attention. Where do your readers hang out? Different websites reach different audiences. For example\, older folks use Facebook. Young people no longer use Facebook—find them on Instagram and YouTube. Find professionals on LinkedIn. Set up special accounts for your author persona—you’ll want it separate from your personal life. \nBesides all the major websites—Facebook\, YouTube\, LinkedIn\, Instagram\, Pinterist\, Twitter\, Google+—brainstorm for other ways to connect: your own website\, a blog\, a newsletter. Write a bio to access by a tab on your website. \nFor input ideas\, remember the audience you want to reach. Who are your ideal readers? What are their wants\, desires\, values\, interests? Who are their influences? Where online are they spending their time? What do you have in common with them? \nUpdate. Contribute something unique to each medium at least weekly. Use pictures to help hold attention. Interact with people online\, reminding them who is behind the writing. Participate in discussions. Time your entries to your readers’ schedules\, entering blog posts to be read Monday morning when they first sit at their desks. Post Facebook entries to be read right after work. \nMohana emphasized giving something of value to the reader of your promotional material. Share news or ideas four times as often as you mention the work you want to sell. Link your entries to each other\, and link to additional information—that’s a freebie you give the reader. Send a free short story\, for example\, in exchange for an email address. \nHelp is available online\, much of it free: \nTo develop your brand\, try http://www.yourwriterplatform.com. \nFor ideas on many aspects of marketing your work including building a contact list\, try https://janefriedman.com. Other sites: http://www.novelpublicity.com\, http://katetilton.com. \nFor working with a long list of contacts\, as you might have with a newsletter\, try MailChimp. \nGet reviews to show someone has read your book. To get a review of your book to post on Amazon or elsewhere\, contact Bookbloggers. The cost of the service covers administration only—the reviewers are not paid for their work\, so treat them kindly. They sign up to read only books they want to read. Even if the reviewer gives your book only one or two stars\, at least that’s evidence your book has been read. Appreciate the effort. \nMohana gave pointers for arranging in-person events\, such as book signings and making contact by phone. “For book signings\, choose a location where you won’t be sitting alone\,” she said. “There’s always the chance no one will show up. And in trying to set up an event\, prepare yourself for unanswered phone calls. To promote your work\, you need a tough skin!” \nShe also mentioned that IngramSpark is a print-on-demand alternative to CreateSpace. \nA book signing followed the program. At left\, Mohana signs a book for WAG member Lee Phillips\, author of Child of the Land. \nFor a free copy of Mohana’s Coloured and other Stories from her newsletter\, click here. To learn more about Mohama and her work\, check her website or follow her latest on Twitter: @moha_doha. \nMohana’s talk was summarized by Joan Carter.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/getting-your-work-noticed/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mohana-Rajakumar-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160612T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160612T163000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160507T161100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T111048Z
UID:4566-1465741800-1465749000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Finding Your Voice and Telling Your Story
DESCRIPTION:Lou Heckler entertained us as he shared techniques of story-telling he has used in his thirty-six years as a motivational speaker and coach. \n“Your unique voice is the right voice for you\,” Heckler said. “Be nosy. Ask questions. Ask people how they do what they’re doing. And listen.” He also shared advice that others had given him. He said that his commanding officer asked how he felt about his new assignment. Heckler said\, “Apprehensive\,” and the officer replied\, “If you ain’t scared\, the job ain’t big enough for you.” \n“In telling or writing your story\,” Heckler said\, “ask yourself these questions: \n\nIs this story big enough? (Does it address big issues?)\nIs it small enough? (Can normal people relate?)”\n\n“As you write\, include sensual details – feel\, taste\, smell.” \n“With description\, find a happy medium\, just enough but not too much. Allow the reader to participate by filling in his/her own details.” \n“Make the movie GO; say things in a different way.” To illustrate\, Heckler read a story that described a man so tall that “he sits in stages\, folding himself.” \n“Look for the abnormal in the normal. Look for the normal in the abnormal.” \n“Notice things around you\, details … Steal ideas.” \nHeckler told about listening to a woman in Publix—upset because the meal she’d ordered wasn’t ready—and watching how the manager handled the situation. The manager walked over and touched the upset customer\, saying\, “We’ll fix this. Would you permit me to bring the food to your house this afternoon? Because of your disappointment\, there will be no charge.” \n“Read widely and with a purpose. If you subscribe to a number of magazines\, always find at least one article with an idea you can use. Keep a file of ‘gems’ you find.” \n“Take the macro idea and make it micro . . . rather than abstractions\, present individual moments and details.” \n“Prepare your elevator pitch\, and work on your delivery. Read the book Steal the Show by Michael Port.” \nBefore closing\, Heckler shared a story that kept the audience laughing throughout. We can’t do it justice here\, but for those who enjoyed it\, bet you’ll remember it forever. It went something like this:  Hungry\, I caught a flight to another city\, a short flight\, but to my surprise\, the plane had food on board! One seatmate ordered beef\, the other chicken. Neither choice looked appetizing. The flight attendant pressed me to make a decision—“beef or chicken?” “Neither\,” I blurted. The attendant bent over and whispered in my ear\, “GOOD choice.” Later\, in my hotel room\, I ordered a turkey sandwich from room service\, expecting the usual long wait. The guy who promptly delivered the sandwich treated me like a king\, laying out a linen tablecloth and napkin and pouring a cup of fresh-ground\, fresh-brewed Columbian coffee—decaffeinated to allow a good night’s sleep. The young man then asked if I would mind filling out a survey because they wanted to improve their service. \nHeckler began his career as a television journalist and has worked at stations in Charlotte\, Chapel Hill\, Richmond\, and Indianapolis. In 2012\, he was the closing essayist every Friday night on the nationally televised PBS television program\, “Nightly Business Report.” Lou has spoken professionally in 47 of the 50 states and a dozen countries. A few of his talks may be seen on YouTube. \nSummarized by Art Crummer and Susie Baxter. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/finding-your-voice-and-telling-your-story/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/LouHeckler_headshot2011_lowres-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160519T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160519T200000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160426T033115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T030812Z
UID:4213-1463680800-1463688000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Scribes of the Sunshine State
DESCRIPTION:The Matheson History Museum and the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) teamed up to present the second “Scribes of the Sunshine State” program. Four distinguished authors — Mary Wood Bridgman\, Jack E. Davis\, Kate Dupes Hawk\, and Darlene Marshall — shared how Florida inspired their writing. See their bios below. \nThis program was held in conjunction with the museum’s April – June\, 2016\, exhibition: “Liquid Gold: The Rise and Fall of Florida Citrus.” \nWAG furnished refreshments\, and a book signing followed the program. \nMary Wood Bridgman\, a lawyer and former corporate executive\, resides on the shores of Kingsley Lake in Clay County. Her professional writing has appeared in national\, regional\, and local publications\, from Chicken Soup for the Soul to The Bradford County Telegraph. Mary has won honors from Writer’s Digest\, the Florida Writers’ Association\, and the Sandhills Writers’ Conference. She has taught writing courses at the University of North Florida and has frequently contributed to public radio (WJCT 89.9 FM in Jacksonville). She currently contributes to Our Town magazine and serves as Managing Editor for Bacopa Literary Review\, published annually by WAG. \nJack E. Davis has taught history at the university level for nearly two decades. In 2002-2003\, he taught on a Fulbright award at the University of Jordan in Amman. He is now a professor of history at the University of Florida\, where his work focuses on U.S. environmental history. Davis prefers to write for an intellectually curious reader rather than an academic audience. His Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930 won the Charles S. Sydnor Prize for the outstanding book in southern history for 2001. An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century\, Davis’s latest book\, received the gold medal for best nonfiction in the Florida Book Awards. Two Charlie Awards — first place for best feature writing and for best in-depth reporting — from the Florida Magazine Association recognized his 2011 article on the Gulf of Mexico\, the subject of his next book. \nKate Dupes Hawk wrote Florida and the Mariel Boatlift of 1980\, which won the 2015 Stetson Kennedy Award from the Florida Historical Society. The 1980 Mariel Boatlift was a profound episode in twentieth-century American history\, impacting not just Florida\, but the entire country. During the first twenty days of the boatlift\, with little support from the federal government\, the state of Florida coordinated and responded to the sudden arrival in Key West of more than thirty thousand Cuban refugees\, the first wave of immigrants who became known as “Marielitos.” Hawk has also developed three museums for the Florida National Guard Historical Foundation and was awarded the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service medal for her work on the Camp Blanding\, Florida\, Museum of World War II. \nDarlene Marshall writes award-winning stories of romance and adventure\, featuring pirates\, privateers\, smugglers and the occasional possum. She lives in North Florida and loves being a writer because her work wardrobe is shorts\, sandals and tropical shirts with flamingos. The best days are when she puts the convertible top down and cruises over to the beach to do research.The Pirate’s Secret Baby won the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers and the Readers’ Choice Award from New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA). Castaway Dreams won the Aspen Gold Reader’s Choice Award\, and Florida-set The Bride and The Buccaneer received the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award for best historical. Her books are available in print\, ebook format\, Kindle editions\, and also in German and Estonian editions.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/scribes-of-the-sunshine-state/
LOCATION:Matheson History Museum\, 513 E University Avenue\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Panel Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/matheson-history-museum.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160515T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160515T160000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160426T041320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T110108Z
UID:4217-1463322600-1463328000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Outlining the Book or Novel You Want to Write
DESCRIPTION:Three published authors\, Darlene Marshall\, Wendy Thornton\, and Larry Brasington\, discussed their outlining and writing styles. A book signing followed the program and Q&A. \n\nDarlene Marshall writes award-winning stories of romance and adventure\, featuring pirates\, privateers\, smugglers and the occasional possum. She lives in North Florida and loves being a writer because her work wardrobe is shorts\, sandals and tropical shirts with flamingos. The best days are when she puts the convertible top down and cruises over to the beach to do research. The Pirate’s Secret Baby won the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers and the Readers’ Choice Award from New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA). Castaway Dreams won the Aspen Gold Reader’s Choice Award\, and Florida-set The Bride and The Buccaneer received the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award for best historical. Her books are available in print\, ebook format\, Kindle editions\, and in German and Estonian editions. \n\nWendy Thornton is a freelance writer and editor who has been published inRiverteeth\, Epiphany\, MacGuffin and many other literary journals and books. Her memoir\, Dear Oprah Or How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV\, was published in July 2013 and is available on Amazon and Kindle. Her mystery\,Bear-Trapped: In a Trashy Hollywood Novel\, was published in February 2015 and is available on Amazon and Kindle. She has won many awards for her work including most recently\, second prize in New York’s Literal Latte essay contest. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize\, and has been Editor’s Pick on Salon.com multiple times. Her work is published in England\, Scotland\, Australia\, and India. \n\nLarry Brasington likes to write stories with lots of action and strong story line. He most enjoys his Shane Ireland\, Elf Detective series set in a world in which a quarter of the human race has mutated. He first published stories in 1972: “Temple in the Swamp” and “The Valley\,” an H. P. Lovecraft-like tale. Many of his short stories have been featured in www.powdermonkey.biz\, an online magazine for gamers. His latest book is Saving Sonya\, a fantasy novel. Among his other novels are Alien Madness\, Brandenburgers: Invasion of Russia (alternative history of World War 2)\, Nell’s Tavern (an alien invasion on a backwater planet)\, and Beyond the Wall (historical novel 169 AD); all are available on Amazon\, Barnes and Noble online\, or Smashwords.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/outlining-the-book-or-novel-you-want-to-write/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Panel Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/notepad-771599_640.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160410T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160410T143000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160212T171644Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T032952Z
UID:3742-1460298600-1460298600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Inspiring Teenagers to Write Poetry — The Struggles and Benefits
DESCRIPTION:Nicole Harris (third from left)\, teacher of English literature at Gainesville High School\, and her talented group of students presented a program of poetry in honor of Poetry Month (April). \nHarris\, Coordinator of Youth Programs for ARTSPEAKS\, founded the poetry club Canes On Da Mic two years ago\, giving students the opportunity to write and share their original poetry. The results surprised her. \nInspired by Harris’ example as a spoken-word poet\, the students competed in the 2015 Youth Speaks Brave New Voices International Poetry slam and entered the national Poetry Out Loud Contest at the regional competition in Tampa in February. A few of the students will perform their own work at WAG’s meeting. \nNicole Harris’s love for writing and performing was instilled early on – she began competing in oratorical contests at Oak Grove Elementary School. She is a spoken word poet and a former performer for South Florida’s Word-of-Mouth Poetry Troupe\, which is a chapter of Black on Black Rhyme\, a group of nationally recognized poets creating a movement to educate\, inspire\, and change lives for the better.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/canes-on-da-mic/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Nicole-Harris-program-e1466997718926.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160319T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160319T170000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160215T014140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164427Z
UID:3774-1458378000-1458406800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Book Sale at Kanapaha Spring Garden Festival
DESCRIPTION:WAG authors displayed and sold their books at this festival\, Gainesville’s premier horticultural event\, which features about 170 booths offering plants\, garden accessories\, arts and crafts\, educational exhibits\, food — and now — books. The festival ran for two days: \nMarch 19 (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM)\nMarch 20 (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) \nA big thanks to Gene Cowell\, who headed up WAG’s festival committee\, and to WAG authors who worked in the booth\, selling books and passing out brochures about Writers Alliance.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/book-sale-at-kanapaha-spring-garden-festival/
CATEGORIES:Book Sale
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/flower_sale_1494413563-e1494413680490.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160313T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160313T143000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20160206T005623Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170510T104328Z
UID:3736-1457879400-1457879400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Marketing Your Book But Were Afraid to Ask!
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Peggy Macdonald\, the Executive Director of the Matheson History Museum\, spoke about the many helpful people and resources that opened doors for her in the promotion for her recently published book\, Marjorie Harris Carr. Her book is an intimate look at this remarkable woman who dedicated her life to conserving Florida’s wildlife and wild places. It won Honorable Mention in Foreword Reviews’ 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award contest in Women’s Studies. \nMacdonald is a native Floridian. She is an alumna of the University of Florida (PhD/History\, 2010) and Hollins University\, a women’s college in Roanoke\, VA. She has taught history at Florida Polytechnic University\, Stetson University\, and UF. She is also a freelance writer\, editor\, and photographer. She lives in the greater Gainesville area with her husband\, two children\, and Miles\, her blue-and-gold macaw.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-marketing-your-book-but-were-afraid-to-ask-2/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Peggy-macdonald-matheson-museum-e1494412992693.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160305T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160305T150000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20151212T190410Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T040940Z
UID:3592-1457168400-1457190000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:WAG's Writers in the Woods
DESCRIPTION:Forty writers attended WAG’s first workshop/retreat\, held at Skipper Hammond’s rural homestead on the Gainesville side of Williston. \nWorkshop topics included publishing\, e-books\, poetry\, marketing\, blogging\, freelance writing\, and submitting to the 2016 Bacopa Literary Review. \nThe cost to WAG members was $15. Attendees enjoyed morning coffee\, donut holes\, and a boxed lunch. Art Crummer and Jeff Shapiro provided entertainment. \nFollowing the day-long program\, Skipper led attendees on a walking tour of her  110-acre spread in old Florida country. What a fun educational day! \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/wags-writers-woods/
CATEGORIES:Retreat
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160207T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160207T143000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20151104T233813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T042256Z
UID:3440-1454855400-1454855400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:How to Establish Your Writing Niche
DESCRIPTION:(By Art Crummer)\n\nDr. Kevin McCarthy\, who taught Linguistics\, Modern English Structure\, and History of the English Language at the University of Florida before his retirement in 2005\, spoke at WAG’s February meeting on “Finding Your Niche.” McCarty took “Floridiana” as his niche\, and has published 30 books having to do with Florida. \nHis WAG presentation was organized around topics beginning with the letters of the word\nR E A C T I B L E S. \nR = Research. McCarthy discussed Research in relation to both fiction and nonfiction. When writing about a region\, he visits local bookstores\, talks with residents\, and buys books about the area\, which he studies to learn what transfers to his own writing. “Learn what books already exist about your area. What movies?”\nE = Expertise. “Specialize in one thing.” After choosing your niche\, what is your own area of expertise? Leverage that.\nA = Accuracy. This applies to both the content and form of your writing\, and to your letters to publishers\, editors\, etc. Make sure all content\, grammar\, and spelling are correct. Especially the recipients’ names.\nC = Canvas the market. Study Writer’s Digest. Look in bookstores – what publishers are doing books in your area? Read Writer’s Market (available from the library).\nT = Timeliness. Does your topic correspond to certain points in the calendar? You can time the release of your article or book to match heightened level of interest on those dates. What countries celebrate holidays on what days? McCarthy has done books on black history\, releasing them just before February. The lead time for magazines is about six months\, so be ready in June to be published before Christmas. His book Christmas in Florida sold well in October and November.\nI = Illustrations. In his nonfiction books\, McCarthy includes illustrations on almost every page. You can get stock photos from fotolia.com\, CanStockPhoto.com\, or other stock photo sites. (Search for “Royalty-free photos.”) You can use these photos\, with appropriate attribution\, royalty-free after converting them by camera or scanner to high resolution. Also\, many libraries have digitized back years of local newspapers\, and these images are available for free. One book on Minnesota history consists of little more than a collection of such images. The Library of Congress has a digitization project.\nB = Byline. McCarthy shared a story about the thrill he felt when he saw his name as the author of a story his mother asked him to write as a youngster.\nL = Legality and Logistics. In your query letter be sure to include: \n1. The idea\n2. Why you?\n3. Who are your external experts in the field?\n4. When will it be ready?\n5. Size?\n6. Why should they support this?\n7. How will you market this book?\n8. Does a similar book exist and how is yours different?\nE = External Experts. Talk with them and learn from them.\nS = Sell\, sell\, sell! McCarthy has found ready markets for his 30 books published under Floridiana\, his chosen niche. \nAfter this well-received talk\, a lively Q&A session was followed by chats up front and a book signing. His “Floridiana niche” includes 30 published books\, including Florida Lighthouses (1990)\, The Book Lover’s Guide to Florida (1992)\, Thirty Florida Shipwrecks (1992)\, African Americans in Florida (1993)\, The Gators and the Seminoles (1993)\, Twenty Florida Pirates (1994)\, Baseball in Florida (1996)\, Guide to the University of Florida and Gainesville (1997)\, Native Americans in Florida (1999)\, and Christmas in Florida (2000).
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/how-to-establish-your-writing-niche/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160125
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20151212T191516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160701T175533Z
UID:3597-1453593600-1453679999@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:WAG Gets HIPP
DESCRIPTION:The Hippodrome Theater invited the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) to host a panel discussion on January 24\, immediately following the matinee performance of Collected Stories\, a play\, by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies\, \n\n“This is probably Margulies’ best play to date…” -- NY Post \n\n“Fluid and lively\, the play is thick with ideas\, like a \n stockpot of good stew.” -- Village Voice \n\nThis play is a riveting and emotionally charged exploration of the intersection of friendship and creative freedom: In a walk-up apartment in Greenwich Village\, a distinguished professor of creative writing reluctantly agrees to mentor an ambitious student\, and over the course of six years\, the two women are led to question\, Who owns the story of your life? \nFollowing the matinee performance on January 24\, four WAG members — Larry Brasington\, Richard Gartee\, Kimberley Mullins\, and Wendy Thornton (see bios below) — discussed with audience members where they get ideas and to what extent the stories around them influence what they put on the page. \nBy way of thanks for WAG’s participation in this event\, the Hippodrome offered all WAG members substantially discounted tickets to the play. A number of WAG members attended and joined in the panel discussion. \nLarry Brasington’s Temple in the Swamp\, an H. P. Lovecraft-like tale\, published in 1968. To date Brasington has published five novels: Alien Madness (science fiction)\, Unholy War: the Brandenburgers—Russia 41 (alternative history)\, Beyond the Wall (historical adventure)\, Nell’s Tavern (science fiction)\, and Saving Sonya (fantasy). In addition he has a series of fantasy mystery stories in the noir-tradition. Brasington has been a judge for the Florida Writers Association Mystery contest\, and he is actively involved with the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. \nRichard Gartee is a poet\, novelist\, and full-time author. He has had seven college textbooks and five collections of his poetry published. His first novel\, Lancelot’s Grail\, was published in 2013\, and he has since completed two more novels that await publication. Gartee is a member of Writers Alliance of Gainesville\, and Florida Writers Association. \nKimberley E. Mullins is a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor in Gainesville\, FL. Her first poetry piece\, “My One Last Cent\,” was published in Amistad in 2007. She has published a book of poetry\, Thinking Aloud: Dimensions of free-verse\, and a fiction novel\, The Friends and Family Connection: Get Unplugged. Her novel In the Company of Strangers released in early 2016. She was a winner of the NanoWrimo 2015 completing just over 50\,000 words in 30 days. In addition to writing poetry\, Mullins has participated in spoken-word venues in Urban Grind\, Atlanta\, GA; Busboys and Poets in Washington\, D.C.; and at the Thomas Center\, Gainesville\, FL. \nWendy Thornton is a freelance writer and editor published in Riverteeth\, Epiphany\, MacGuffin and many other literary journals and books. Her memoir\, Dear Oprah Or How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV\, was published in July 2013. Her mystery novel\, Bear-Trapped: In a Trashy Hollywood Novel\, was published in February\, 2015. Thornton has won many awards for her work including most recently\, second prize in New York’s Literal Latte essay contest. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize\, has been Editor’s Pick on Salon.com\, and is published in England\, Scotland\, Australia and India. \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/wag-gets-hipp/
LOCATION:The Hippodrome State Theater\, 25 SE 2nd Place\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion
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CREATED:20150911T202848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T041653Z
UID:3259-1452436200-1452436200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:How to Write a Travel Narrative
DESCRIPTION:Fiona Lama\, an adjunct English teacher at Santa Fe College and a library specialist with the Alachua County Library District\, discussed the elements that make travel narratives different from other non-fiction essays. Following her presentation\, the audience had the opportunity to draft the beginning of their own travel narrative and receive feedback. \nIn connection to Lama’s interest in travel stories\, she has logged thousands of miles across the big pond with 20 trips to Europe and 40 to London. After earning a master’s degree in education from the University of Florida\, she pursued her second master’s in English and creative writing. She is a member of the National League of American Penwomen and has two works online: an essay\, “Facing Fear in Lovely London\,” and a short story\, “I Saw Dead People.”
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/how-to-write-a-travel-narrative/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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CREATED:20150907T235205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164427Z
UID:3232-1447495200-1447606800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Gainesville Downtown Festival and Art Show
DESCRIPTION:(By Joan Carter)\n\nThe Writers Alliance participated in the 2015 Gainesville Downtown Festival and Art Show. For two beautiful fall days\, WAG members manned WAG’s booth on a prime corner in front of the Hippodrome to sell each others’ books. The festival was huge\, covering blocks and blocks of displays selling the works of over 240 artists to probably 100\,000 attendees. \nSunday afternoon\, member George Huber demonstrated his skill as a carnival barker and former WAG president Art Crummer played his guitar and sang\, attracting passers-by to WAG’s display. Dozens of festival-goers stopped to learn about WAG and took flyers\, bookmarks\, and handouts home for future reference. Thirty-six books\, priced at special festival prices by WAG authors to facilitate making change\, were sold at the festival. \n  \nWendy Thornton\, Art Crummer\, and Bonnie Ogle man WAG booth Sunday afternoon.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/gainesville-downtown-festival-and-art-show/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale
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CREATED:20150925T163339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T191100Z
UID:3329-1447180200-1447185600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Community Outreach: Becoming a Writer
DESCRIPTION:(By Susie Baxter)\nWAG members Art Crummer and Karen Porter presented a program entitled “Becoming a Writer” to a small group of emerging writers at the High Springs Branch of the Alachua County Library on November 10. \nCrummer\, past president of the Writers Alliance and an award-winning musician\, said he interwove real life anecdotes with fictional events to create Wrestling God\, The All True Misadventures of an Elkin\, N.C. Boy\, the first novel of his trilogy Fixing Things. He discussed how he created a unique voice for each character through word choice and the importance of editing to eliminate unnecessary words. \nPorter\, author of several children’s books\, explained how she and her daughter work together on the books\, including the artwork\, and how the concept came about for What to do When You Get the Bejeebers Scared Out of You. One day while driving\, Porter exclaimed that another driver almost scared the bejeebers out of her. Her young daughter replied\, “Mommie\, what’s a bejeeber?” and the idea for the book was born. \nFollowing their talks\, the authors answered audience questions\, which focused on e-book publishing\, blogging\, and establishing a platform. \nIf you are interested in participating in community outreach programs such as this\, contact the WAG president or a member of the WAG Board. \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/becoming-a-writer/
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion
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CREATED:20150913T031020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T191231Z
UID:3266-1446993000-1446993000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Bacopa Literary Review Presentation
DESCRIPTION:(By Joan H. Carter)\nThe Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) presented the sixth annual edition of their literary journal\, the Bacopa Literary Review\, and announced the winners of their 2015 contest. The forty-one works selected for Bacopa included authors from as far away as Australia\, Brazil\, and Canada as well as from the Gainesville area and several other states. Of the nine winners in the contest – note that the judging is blind so the judges don’t know the authors – four were local residents. \nWAG members picked up their free copies of Bacopa\, and visitors had a chance to buy one for $10. Gen Aris\, Bacopa Editor-in-Chief\, led the program of readers during which editors introduced each of thirteen readings from the journal by sharing a short bio of the author. The program included all or parts of six of the prize-winning entries plus other works by three local authors as well as four non-winners from out of state that the editors thought we’d enjoy. Editors on behalf of authors not able to attend and authors read selections of about four minutes each. The appreciative audience followed along in their own copies. After applauding the readings — listed below — the audience celebrated by enjoying a table of treats and healthy snacks. \nDavid Maas read his poem “Beautiful Like This.” \nCatherine Ghosh\, third place nonfiction winner\, read an excerpt from “The Fire Breather.” \nDorothy Staley\, editor\, read an excerpt from Ellen Perry’s first place fiction “Milk – Bread – Soft Drinks.” \nMichael Allard\, third place fiction winner\, read an excerpt from “Your Invisible Alligator.” \nJani Sherrod\, editor\, read Margaux Griffith’s poem “Late Bloom.” \nPat Caren (pen name Marie Q. Rogers) read selections from her story “Canebreak.” \nBonnie Ogle\, on behalf of Kaye Linden\, first place creative nonfiction winner\, read Kaye’s “The Linear and Circular One Sentence of Tattoo Designs over His Body.” \nGen Aris\, editor\, read Kimberly Rose’s poem “Medicine My Mother Was.” \nDorothy Staley\, editor\, read Mary Moycik’s short fiction “Reading the Newspaper.” \nMichael Kite\, second place creative nonfiction winner\, read an excerpt from “Memories of a Honeymoon and a Milk Carton.” \nGen Aris\, editor\, read Darrell Dela Cruz’ poem “Where We Are Located.” \nJani Sherrard\, editor\, read Diane Stone’s first place poem “Local Weather.” \nGen Aris\, editor\, read Nicholas Lloyd’s story “Sprint.” \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/bacopa-literary-review-presentation/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20151011T143000
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CREATED:20150408T074842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T191405Z
UID:454-1444573800-1444573800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:National Novel Writing Month
DESCRIPTION:by Connie Morrison\nA panel of three NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) winners held a packed audience captive as they shared their former participation in this 30-day\, 50\,000-word novel-writing challenge. The National Novel Writing Month takes place internationally every November\, encouraging writing and creativity around the world. Winners are those who complete their novels in the one month. \nGail Carr\, a youth services librarian at Headquarters Library in Gainesville and a three-year winner of NaNoWriMo\, took off last year for time to become a grandmother. Her supportive husband Archie\, her first grandchild\, and a Chihuahua named Pedro keep her busy now\, but not too busy to write. \nShe feels creating is crucial to her life. Others – 325\,142 of them last year – share that view as that number signed up for the challenge; 58\,917 hit their goal of writing a 50\,000-word draft novel in 30 days. \nGail told how published authors offer frequent pep talks delivered to the participant’s NaNoMail inbox throughout November. She came prepared with pompoms and got the audience cheering as she shared some past gems. This year Diana Gabaldon\, Charlaine Harris\, N. K. Jemisin\, Gene Luen Yang and Stephanie Perkins\, all well-known authors of diverse genres\, will offer their encouragement throughout the month of writing. \nAdditionally last year\, 803 volunteer liaisons on six continents gave their time and encouragement\, and 849 book stores\, libraries\, and community centers opened their doors to NaNoWriMo writers. \nGail admitted that as a slow\, careful\, technical writer she had not enjoyed writing. Then she met Jennifer\, who encouraged her to join NaNoWriMo\, and learned to write fast and carefree\, with no editing and no agonizing. She experienced a burst in her self-confidence helped by the pep talks. \nJennifer Kinser\, a Tower Road librarian and graduate of Florida State\, is this year’s local NaNoWriMo municipal liaison (ML). She gets encouragement from her 22-year-old tuxedo cat named Sylvester. In 2010\, she joined the challenge on a whim after being encouraged by a friend. She was working and going to grad school\, but the energy of others brought her to the finish line. She emphasized that not reaching the 50\,000-word goal would not be the end of the world. Just writing makes you a winner. \nJennifer gave us a NaNoWriMo website tour from sign-up to forum participation and beyond. She encouraged everyone to create an account and look at the site\, getting familiar with it ahead of time. Individual writing is usually done on personal software\, then copied and pasted to the NaNoWriMo site for word counts. Writing can be in any genre\, but only new writing should be used toward the 50\,000 word count. \nThe writing schedule is 1\,667 words per day to reach the 50\,000 word mark.  Typos don’t matter. The NaNoWriMo site can lead you through the challenge – it’s a warehouse of information. Under the heading “Regions/Local Volunteers\,” you can find and contact your municipal liaison (Jennifer) whose job it is to set up write-ins and meet-ups for encouragement. Most first timers are especially interested in the “NaNo Prep” page\, found under “Inspiration.” \nWinning is hitting the 50\,000 words\, but by creating an account\, which is free\, you are not required to do anything else. At the least\, you can get acquainted with the site\, and any writing you do is more than you would have done\, a plus in itself. \nAudience members wondered: Why November? The answer was that November includes holidays – the long Thanksgiving Day weekend plus Veterans’ Day. It all started in 1999. The audience got to hear the NaNoWriMo song presented in a YouTube video\, \nHannah E. O’Neal\, age fifteen and ready to write her fourth novel\, hit the 50\,000-targeted word count her first year\, even though writers seventeen and under can be winners at 10-30\,000 words. After finishing\, Hannah took advantage of a NaNoWriMo coupon from Createspace for two free published copies of her novel. The coupon was time sensitive and gave her the needed incentive. She encourages everyone to give it a try. \nAudience members inquired about the writers’ schedules. During the month of November\, Gail stated she did not do dishes\, leaving the table immediately after dinner to write for however long it took to reach the daily word count of 1\,667. If necessary\, she devoted more time on weekends\, and she declared she always felt energized while writing. \nJennifer\, as liaison\, has write-ins planned for three branches. The information can be found on the library events page for November. Meet-ups are also planned\, at Perkins Restaurant (tentatively) and other places to be announced. \nIn answer to an audience question\, Gail shared what she wrote about the three years she has done NaNoWriMo. In 2011\, she did no planning and wrote personally about child abuse and bullying. It was cathartic for her. In 2012\, she planned ahead with an outline\, writing about the library’s role as a social service agency. She hasn’t shared those manuscripts. In 2013\, she tried fiction\, futuristic sci-fi on the theme of bullying and slavery\, using a short outline. She confided this manuscript was aging like a nice cheese on the shelf. \nHannah admitted that at first she was a pantser – a seat-of-the-pants writer – with two characters as protagonists\, finally coming up with an antagonist as she was writing. Interaction dictated her scenes. Later she began to outline. \nEveryone was again encouraged to register\, even if in November. The experience would be invaluable. Someone questioned about the organization asking for donations on the NaNoWriMo site. All three panelists emphatically declared the site was free with donations made only by those who felt compelled and able. They insisted that sharing the NaNoWriMo information was just as important as a donation. \nGail reminded the audience that local authors are encouraged to donate their books to Alachua County Libraries so they may be made available to patrons. A special sticker indicating the author is local is applied to the spine. Headquarters has its own local author section. Please contact the library if you are interested in having your book on the shelf. \nAnd if you don’t have a book\, sign up for NaNoWriMo and write one. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/national-novel-writing-month/
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion
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CREATED:20150908T004607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164427Z
UID:3238-1444471200-1444582800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Thornebrook Village Art Festival
DESCRIPTION:Book Sale!\nThe Writers Alliance of Gainesville participated in the 2015 Thornebrook Village Art Festival held on Saturday and Sunday\, October 10-11\, 2015. The two-day event featured food\, live music\, and the works of 130 artists. \nA short rainstorm early Saturday morning made WAG authors wonder if the turnout would be good. But the  weather cleared well before 10:00 AM when the festival opened\, and the event drew large crowds both days. \nUnder a tent that sported WAG’s new logo banner\, WAG authors sold their books\, handed out brochures about our organization\, and talked up Sunday afternoon’s NaNoWriMo program at the Millhopper Library. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/thornebrook-village-art-festival/
LOCATION:Thornebrook Village\,  2441 NW 43rd Street\, Gainesville\, 32606
CATEGORIES:Book Sale
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CREATED:20150408T074454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180408T143618Z
UID:452-1442154600-1442154600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Pictures: Worth a Thousand Words or Dollars?
DESCRIPTION:“Writing sells after the book presentation attracts the buyer.” The buyer must be attracted somehow to the book before he looks inside. This was just one suggestion from illustrator\, author\, and publisher Mark Wayne Adams\, who spoke to a packed audience at the September meeting of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. \nMark began his career as an illustrator in the third grade\, marketing his own drawings to friends. In high school\, his target for success was to illustrate just one book in his lifetime. With energy\, passion\, and humor\, he explained how his raw talent\, fueled by innate energy\, has propelled him into creating a successful publishing enterprise with a warehouse of 35\,000 books. \nAs CEO of Mark Wayne Adams\, Inc. and past president of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association\, he has already illustrated forty-nine more books than he originally intended\, is the author/illustrator of eight more\, and has published the works of many other talented individuals. He is a prolific artist with a collection of over 12\,000 of his original drawings. \n“What elements are required to become a successful author?” Mark asked the audience. He admitted that he had no unusual experiences to write about\, but everyone has a story to tell. His story began as a boy who loved to draw. Mark’s early dreams were specific and focused. Beyond illustrating that one book\, he had a goal to work as an animator at Walt Disney World\, to be part of the creative team producing fantasies that inspired millions of children and adults all over the world. \nAfter graduating from Murray State University in Kentucky with a BFA in Drawing\, he migrated to the eastern Mecca of animation\, Walt Disney World in Orlando. Once there\, he observed Disney artists at work. He could match other artists’ styles and he was fast – animators have to be able to draw approximately 32 times faster than the average illustrator. For him\, there was no brooding over an easel\, no lingering consultation with his muse. He was production-oriented in a production-oriented environment. Walt Disney World was impressed\, hired him\, and helped to set him on a path that he is still blazing today. \nIn addition to learning the craft\, Disney taught him how to engage with people\, to conquer intimidation through courses in public speaking. Today\, he meets and interacts with audiences at schools\, public service events\, and festivals to energize other people\, especially children\, and encourage them to realize their dreams. These meetings introduce people and potential consumers to his work. \nThere have been diversions along the way. Scholastic Publishers sought him out as their regional sales manager. Despite tantalizing benefits\, the job would not allow him time to draw\, speak to groups\, or participate in festivals. Encouraged by his family\, he decided to continue in the publishing business because he loved it and he could continue to encourage others. “If you treat a business like a passion\, you will make ten times more money than if you treat it like a business\,” he told us. He is passionate about writing\, illustrating\, and the business of publishing. \nHe challenged members of the WAG audience to write that book\, to consider their own life experiences and recognize how those experiences can be crafted into a story for general appeal. He asserted that everyone sitting in the room with him had begun and quit a number of different enterprises over a life span that would provide sufficient fabric to weave tales for publication. \nAs an example\, he referenced one of his own authors who composed a series of books focusing on the eccentricities of her two young children\, two subjects whom she knew better than anyone. Through humorous verse\, accented with Mark’s illustrations\, she produced award-winning books from the most simple of life’s experiences. It is the telling together with the right illustrations – the total product including its packaging – that can transform a simple story into a standout seller. \nWriting is just the first step. Marketing makes a huge difference\, said Mark. Presentation of the book\, how it’s displayed\, is a factor in its sales. He discussed binding styles. He cautioned self-publishers to keep in mind that it is the spine of the book that is visible to buyers on the bookstore shelf\, so a series lends itself to an interesting illustration on lined-up spines. Avoid stapled bindings! And don’t forget publicity\, promotion\, public speaking\, and other specifics of production that may baffle or intimidate first time authors\, particularly those in self-publication. \nMark spent nearly half of his presentation addressing specific questions from the audience\, and he is willing to personally answer more queries by email. However\, he warned that his speed with a pen does not translate into his speed with email – expect some turn-around time. \nFor examples of Mark’s writings\, illustrations and for more information\, please visit his website. \n(Summary of program by Elaine Beem Robinson)
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/pictures-worth-a-thousand-words-or-dollars/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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CREATED:20150809T063054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T042757Z
UID:3116-1439130600-1439130600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Game Warden Bob Lee's True-Life Adventure Stories
DESCRIPTION:(by Skipper Hammond)\n\nThe first advice writers get is “Write what you know.” Bob Lee has done exactly that\, writing about his three decades with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). But instead of common\, everyday life\, his stories are pure adventure-thriller\, the stuff of Indiana Jones’ experience. On August 9\, his listeners were on the edge of their seats one moment\, in rapt suspense\, then howling in laughter as he recounted his adventures enforcing conservation law in Putnam and St. John’s counties. \nIn writing memoir\, Lee has faced questions all memoirists must answer: How do I handle my “characters\,” who are real people\, friends\, co-workers? And do I stretch the truth to entertain? Lee took perhaps the easy route in answering the first—he waited until he retired before publishing. But he prepared for the day by interviewing his characters as he collected case reports\, photos\, clippings\, and notes. \nGuest speaker Bob Lee entertains the audience. Photo by Michael Allard.\nEven for one particular interview\, he was forced to wait until after retirement. His main character\, Roger Gunter\, a notorious poacher who lived for the challenge of outwitting game wardens\, wouldn’t agree to an interview as long as Lee was working for FWC. The payoff for Lee’s patience was four full days of interviews and pages full of thrills and laughs in which the reader is able to identify with the “bad guy.” Gunter\, the poacher\, was so invested in the story that he came to the book launch at the local feed and seed store\, but\, like a teen on her first date\, he worried about what color boots to wear. \nLee’s goal in answering the second question\, whether to stretch the truth\, has been to be accurate. “Sometimes I’m tempted to bend truth to make stories more entertaining. But I don’t\,” he said. Accuracy protects the reader’s trust. On at least one occasion he modified his words “to keep friends. But I’m always careful to get the story right.” That one time\, an officer he’d interviewed was angry about a quote\, even denied it\, although it was on tape. \n“I’m not a professional writer\,” Lee said. “I didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer.” So he’s made a point of looking to other writers to learn “how they do what I want to do” and for feedback on his writing. A freelance writer friend edited his first story\, and he joined a small critique group early in his writing journey. For almost two decades\, members of that group have continued to give each other feedback. He said he writes first thing in the morning\, “before my head gets cluttered up with everything that happens during the day.” \nBob Lee talks with WAG members and guests as he signs books. Photo by Michael Allard.\nIn 2007\, Lee set out to chronicle his experiences in a package of selected stories. It took him three years to write his book\, Backcountry Lawman: True Stories from a Florida Game Warden\, published in 2013 by the University Press of Florida. The book was recognized in 2014 as the winner of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association Award for best outdoor book and has been featured in the Florida Sportsman\, Florida Wildlife\, Florida Game & Fish\, Palatka Daily News\, International Game Warden and other publications. \nA native of Florida\, Bob graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of South Florida. He is a 30-year veteran of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He worked as a water patrol officer on the St. John’s River and a land patrol lieutenant in Flagler\, Putnam and St. John’s counties. He is a former teacher of man-tracking classes through the Florida Wildlife Commission Law Enforcement Academy. \nLee continues to work as a freelance writer for law enforcement and outdoor magazines. He and his wife\, Karen\, live on eighteen acres next to a secluded lake in south Putnam County. \n[intense_spacer height=”30″]\n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/game-warden-bob-lee-entertains-with-true-life-adventure-stories-2/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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CREATED:20150712T073144Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160507T180504Z
UID:447-1436711400-1436711400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Fifty Years in the Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:by Sharon Ketts\n“Take an event and turn it into a story\,” our speaker\, Shelley Fraser Mickle\, told a full-house audience on Sunday\, July 12\, 2015. “Give yourself permission to make it entertaining. Story has its own needs\, facts can be twisted.” Her engaging presentation of good advice for writers sprinkled the afternoon with laughter. \nMickle said she fell in love with story at age five\, when her family had given her the nickname “Screaming Mimi\,” after the German rockets in World War II. Stories were her grandmother’s way of calming her down. She decided that stories must be something necessary\, like “air\, water\, or a good purse.” \nShe grew up in Arkansas and Tennessee\, and headed to the University of Mississippi after graduating high school. Being a brash high school senior\, she wrote to William Faulkner\, teaching at U of M\, and told him she would be coming in the fall. She gave him permission to introduce himself to her if he saw her walking around campus. Unfortunately\, she told us\, “He had the audacity to die six months before I arrived.” \nShe had the advantage of studying writing in the fertile culture of the Mississippi Delta where her husband was practicing medicine. She wrote her first novel\, Queen of October\, in 1992\, and sent it to Louis Rubin to read through. Unknown to her at that time\, Rubin was the most illustrious literary critic of his time. He worked with her for two and a half years on the novel\, and they remained friends until his death in 2013. \nWhen is your writing good? That’s a question she asked herself every day\, which led to her practices of getting up at 4 a.m. before her inner editor\, and her children\, were awake and of buying a new typewriter when she got rejected. “Don’t give up\,” she told the audience. “It’s all a matter of taste when it comes to agents and editors.” \nAfter publishing several books and appearing on National Public Radio both locally and nationally with her essays\, she and her husband started a publishing company in 2009. They had observed there were no books in which children with physical differences were heroes. Wild Onion Press was born. \nMickle challenged the audience: “Have you written a story powerful enough to change a life?” \nShe received a manuscript from a mother whose daughter had been born with only four tiny fingers on her right hand. The five-year-old had dictated her memoir to her mother before she could write or read. Grace Mary McClelland had been the victim of bullying. “You must be stupid because you have stupid little fingers\,” she was told. Wild Onion published her book\, The Gift of Grace\, exactly as Grace wrote it\, Mickle revising only one sentence in the manuscript. \nMickle said the story changed her life and her way of thinking. “Have you written a story that reflects an act of bravery\, that’s changed someone’s life?” she asked the audience again. \nShe told us the story of Isabelle Hadala\, born with a condition that limits the development of fingers\, teeth\, and toes. At a camp for disabled children\, Mickle led a writers’ workshop for parents. They wrote a first-day-of-school speech for their children to say: “Look at me\, and get over it.” This led to Isabelle’s book\, The First Day Speech. After the book was published\, Isabelle appeared on Good Morning America\, modeled for Aeropostale\, and was a guest weather girl on the local news channel. \nMickle said\, “I never understood what a book can do. It can change a life.” \nA prolific writer\, she is currently working on several projects\, and has no thoughts of retiring. \nAn audience member asked the question\, “Was there anything you couldn’t bring yourself to write about?” \nMickle’s reply: “No\, but I wanted to write about things nobody wanted to hear about.” \n[intense_spacer height=”20″]\n[intense_hr]\n[intense_spacer height=”20″]\nShelley Fraser Mickle\, author of several award-winning books\, shared how she got her start in the literary world and her path over a period of fifty years. \nMickle grew up in Arkansas and Tennessee and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1966. She studied writing at the University of Mississippi\, the Harvard Extension School\, and Wellesley College. Her first novel\, The Queen of October\, was a 1989 New York Times Notable Book. Her second novel\, Replacing Dad\, became a CBS movie and is now shown on the Hallmark channel. \nMickle began reading her humorous essays on National Public Radio in 1995. In 2000 some of these were published in The Kids are Gone\, the Dog is Depressed & Mom’s on the Loose. That same year she was honored to be a commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition broadcast out of Washington\, D.C. \nIn 2006\, Mickle’s novel\, The Turning Hour\, was recognized with the Florida Governor’s Award for the best suicide prevention tool in an educational setting. The novel is based on the true story of a high-school senior’s recovery from a suicide attempt. Mickle’s masterwork addresses the emotional challenges of modern American youth. \nMickle and her husband\, Dr. John Mickle\, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon\, live on a horse farm in Alachua County\, Florida.\n[intense_spacer height=”30″]
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/fifty-years-in-the-writing-life/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150614T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150614T143000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150408T072738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160507T180549Z
UID:445-1434292200-1434292200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:WAG Enters the 21st Century
DESCRIPTION:by Ann~Marie Magné\nWhen the scheduled guest speaker for WAG’s June program had to cancel at the last minute\, WAG Board Members Susie Baxter\, Robin Ingle\, Sharon Ketts\, and Jani Sherrard filled the time slot with an informative program on WAG’s beautiful new website\, WAG’s newly energized Facebook page\, and our annual journal\, Bacopa Literary Review. \nSusie stated that WAG hired Raghu Designs to create a sophisticated website to represent the dynamic organization WAG has become. Robin said the developer gave WAG more bang for the buck than anticipated. \nSusie began her presentation of the website on the home page. The “Join WAG” button is right there for easy clicking\, and the WAG member login is easily accessible here. Also front and center is a list of upcoming programs and guest speakers. \nBold-faced entries and menu items on the left side of website pages link to more information: the history of WAG\, what’s new\, membership benefits\, books written by members\, issues of the WAG Digest\, and lots more. A logged-on member will see a “members only” menu link to an expanded list of interesting pages. \nA rolling display of testimonials appears in the right-hand column. Members are encouraged to send their thoughts to the webmaster so she can post them to entice nonmembers to join this wonderful organization. \nA new benefit of the website is the ease of joining WAG or renewing membership. Dues can be paid using PayPal. New members may opt to print the membership form and take it to a meeting\, or click-click-click themselves into membership! \nWebmaster Robin Ingle said that all WAG members should have received their website user names and passwords. When logging in the first time\, a member enters the assigned user name and password. After that\, a member may use his/her email address to log in and may change to a new password. \nSusie mentioned that WAG’s current bylaws and the proposed revised bylaws are posted for members to review on the announcement page in the “members-only” section. Please read them. The revised bylaws will be voted on at the July meeting. \nMembers may have their work—books and blogs—listed and the books sold on WAG’s website. Each week a book is featured\, chosen systematically. All purchases made through Amazon give WAG a four percent kickback. “If you continue shopping on Amazon after first accessing it through the WAG website\,” Susie explained\, “WAG also will get a kickback when you buy a new toaster!” Because WAG is a nonprofit\, all those kickbacks go to worthy causes. So begin your Amazon shopping through WAG’s website! \nRobin remarked that social icons are displayed at the bottom of all pages. Use them. She is tweeting all WAG members’ books on Twitter. \nAnother advantage for members is the members’ forum. Here’s a place to express your ideas\, plus make suggestions and comments. The forum is viewed only by fellow members. Participate and help it grow. \nSharon Ketts encouraged everyone to check out WAG’s Facebook page\, to click “like” when you see something of interest\, to comment\, and to share the posts. The number of followers has increased dramatically now that posts are being made daily. \nJani Sherrod stated that the Bacopa Literary Review\, WAG’s annual journal\, is one of the few print literary journals still available. The purpose of Bacopa is to promote local and world-wide writers by publishing their works and offering rewards in the contest. The genres for the contest are poetry\, fiction\, and creative nonfiction. Poetry receives the most submissions by far. \nJani explained the reason for having two submission periods for each issue. The first is for general publication. The later period is for the contest. Bacopa established the two categories because many published authors don’t want to pay to enter contests. \nContest judging is blind. The genre judges do not know the names of authors. One person tracks the authors and forwards submissions to the genre judges\, who categorize them as “print\,” “maybe\,” and “no.” Diversity and originality are sought. The pieces marked “print” and “maybe” are then reviewed by all judges\, and the final decision is left to the genre judge. \nThis year’s contest deadline of June 30 is approaching fast. Creative nonfiction has the fewest submissions\, so if this is your specialty\, here’s a golden opportunity. Members are entitled to one free submission; entries thereafter cost $11. The fee offsets prize money for first second and third place in each category. \nWAG is here for you!  Visit the website\, the Facebook page\, and submit to Bacopa!
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/how-to-craft-your-character-arc-and-develop-your-protagonist/
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150503T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150503T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150408T072010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T185520Z
UID:443-1430663400-1430667000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:You Can't Get There From Here: How I Became an Author
DESCRIPTION:by Bonnie Ogle\nNathan Whitaker\, best-selling co-author with Tony Dungy and Tim Tebow\, regaled Writers Alliance members at the general meeting on Sunday\, May 3. Taking a selfie with the audience behind him\, Whitaker revealed his self-deprecating sense of humor and launched into “my favorite topic\, myself\,” and how he became “an accidental author.” \nWhitaker’s first tip to writers of memoir is to “get the subject talking\,” building a much greater word count than needed. Frequently\, accomplished subjects have developed a “two-minute story” for interviews and are often reluctant to talk about their accomplishments. Interviewing people close to the subject helps. Tim Tebow’s dad learned a lot about his son when he found a stack of trophies stuffed under Tim’s locker. \nThe first line of a book is key\, Whitaker said. Tony Dungy’s book\, Quiet Strength begins with his firing. Readers will be immediately engaged because many have been there. “Recognize that it will not be compelling if you don’t talk about the dark times\,” Whitaker said. Who wouldn’t prefer to talk about a Superbowl win than the time he was fired? It is important for the writer to have empathy for his subject who bares himself. \nNathan Whitaker is a principal in Whitaker Partners LLC and represents college and professional coaches and administrators. He is involved in ministry and is available for speaking engagements. You can learn more at http://nathanwhitaker.com \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/you-cant-get-there-from-here-how-i-became-an-author/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150426T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150426T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150408T065347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T190651Z
UID:438-1430058600-1430062200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Targeting Your Pitch
DESCRIPTION:by Felicia Lee\nPattie Glenn\, published author\, screenplay writer and broker/manager spoke on “Targeting Your Pitch” at WAG’s Speakers Series meeting on April 26\, 2015. She is a prolific author of books and screenplays in a range of genres. She’s also a talented singer (a soloist with the Gainesville Big Band) and realtor and founder of the GreenSmart team at Keller Williams Realty. \nAfter her lively and informative talk on how to perfect your pitch to agents and publishers\, she answered a few more questions: \nQ: What first inspired you to write? \nA: My grandmother was my biggest inspiration – she instilled in me a love of storytelling. Most importantly\, she told me I could be whatever I wanted to be; that’s a really important thing for a child to hear. She taught me how to tell stories – she’d have me read aloud on a reel-to-reel tape. \nI’m not going to say what year that was (I was four) but I still have that tape! I always enjoyed writing poetry in school\, but I didn’t really start writing creatively until around 2003. \nQ: What’s the secret ingredient to a great pitch? If there’s one thing you’d like everyone here to take away today\, what would it be? \nA: Definitely preparation. I prepare – I’m a narrative speaker by nature\, so it’s hard for me to be concise. So I edit and edit and edit! I’m good at editing\, but it’s not easy for me to do\, so I put a lot of work into it. \nQ: You’ve got a lot on your plate with a full-time career as a realtor\, your singing\, your writing – and promoting your writing must also take a lot of time. How do you make time for everything? \nA: Well\, I have to tell you\, I’m really out of balance at times – real estate is that crazy. I rely a lot on prayer and meditation. I’d love my writing to be more of a full-time job – but still\, I don’t want to do just one thing. \nBackground:\nPattie Glenn\, published author\, screenplay writer and broker/manager combines her creative and analytical talents to serve today’s entertainment markets\, and seeks to empower audiences through stories for the heart and soul in her screenplays\, novels\, short stories\, transmedia storytelling\, and instructional materials for a variety of media. Glenn graduated Valedictorian from Full Sail University’s 2013 Creative Writing for Entertainment Bachelor’s of Fine Arts program. \nVisit her website at Pondhawk Productions.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/targeting-your-pitch/
CATEGORIES:Retreat,Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150301T023000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150301T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150502T062429Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150502T062429Z
UID:2168-1425177000-1425223800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:A Land Remembered
DESCRIPTION:by Wendy Thornton\nA large crowd of writers and environmentally concerned attendees heard speaker Rick Smith talk about his father\, Patrick Smith\, and the many historical books he wrote about Florida. The most famous is A Land Remembered\, but it was his fist Florida book\, Forever Island\, which garnered a Pulitzer nomination. Angel City\, about the plight of migrant workers\, resulted in demands for reform for these oppressed employees. He passed away in January 2014. \nRick and his wife are from Cambria\, California. Using videos of his father’s actual presentations over the years\, Rick Smith created a multimedia program with “Florida sounds.” \nSome of the stories told by Rick Smith originated from his father and some were actually presented by Patrick Smith through accompanying videos\, a unique method of lecturing. According to Patrick Smith\, “All good writing comes from a sense of place.” \nWhen Forever Island was published\, the Soviet Writers’ Union invited him to the Soviet Union. Smith also told about how a hippie somehow helped him break his writer’s block\, arriving in his office with a story of a pond drying up and fish flopping around in the mud. A cottonmouth came began carrying fish one-by-one to another\, deeper pond setting them free. Smith was sure that the hippie had actually seen this\, and the tale inspired him to begin telling his environmental astute stories. \nFor Angel City\, Smith went to a Goodwill store\, bought an old outfit\, and passed himself off as a migrant worker. He said he almost quit that research because of the pure physical torture of such a life. “No one can imagine what life is like for a migrant worker unless they live it.” The book led to editorials demanding that this tragic abuse of workers end. As a result\, laws were passed to protect migrant workers. \nSmith said that his father’s most famous book\, A Land Remembered\, required more than two years of research. Smith researched the Battle of Olustee\, the birth of the cattle and citrus industry\, the great freeze of 1895\, the land boom in Miami in 1920s\,  the 1926 hurricane\, and the 1928 hurricane that drowned more than 2000 people in Okeechobee in 2 hours. What he wanted to know was\, how did this affect people\, how did they survive\, why did they come to Florida in the first place? “What were their hopes\, their dreams\, … the sort of thing you cannot find in a history book.” \nHis book was so realistic he says people often called and thanked him for writing about their families. But what he wrote was a composite of all the families he had learned about. Over the years\, many schools have used the book\, now considered a classic of Florida literature. Patrick Smith was definitely ahead of his time.  As one of his characters said\, “Progress ain’t reversible.” \nRick Smith refers to his style of presentation as “visual storytelling.”  From the enthusiasm of the crowd gathered at the WAG special event\, it appears this style was a tremendous hit. \nIn his presentation\, Smith defined where the term Florida cracker originated. It came from the cracking sound of whips used by Florida cowboys when they herded cattle. It was also used as a method of communication — crackers could let other cowboys know where they were or whether there was danger by the number of cracks. (If you do it just right\, the tip of the whip exceeds the speed of sound.) \nWAG’s own Art Crummer opened with some Florida folk songs. And thank you to our  program coordinator\, Carol Ray Skipper\, for setting up this great presentation. Also\, a thank you to the Unitarian Universalist church for the use of their beautiful facility.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/a-land-remembered/
LOCATION:Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville\, 4225 NW 34th Street\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32615\, United States
CATEGORIES:Retreat,Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150208T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150208T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150502T020036Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150502T020036Z
UID:2152-1423405800-1423409400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:The Virtues of Brevity
DESCRIPTION:by Noel Neff\nRon Cunningham said he has given serious consideration to changing his business card to include the words “Trained Observer of the Human Condition.” \n“That may be actually the best definition of a writer I can give you today\,” he said\, followed by a wry grin. \nCunningham\, former editorial page editor of The Gainesville Sun\, served up 45 minutes of gems and wisdom on Feb. 8\, 2015 during the Writers Alliance of Gainesville’s monthly meeting at the Millhopper Branch Library. His self-titled talk was called\, ironically\, “Life\, the Universe and Everything in 500 Words or Less: On the Virtue of Brevity.” \n“The dirty little secret of our business is that writing short is harder than writing long\,” he said. “There’s an old saying in the newspaper business that goes\, ‘I didn’t have time to write short!’” \nCunningham reflected on a newspaper career that began in the 1970s\, as editor of the Independent Florida Alligator in the years immediately after the University of Florida campus newspaper became independent. The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel hired Cunningham directly out of journalism school\, but he soon returned to Gainesville to cover politics for the Sun. Now retired\, he still contributes a Sunday column focusing on environmental issues and serves as the Sun’s theater critic. He also is executive director of the nonprofit Bike Florida\, which promotes responsible cycling and bicycle tourism in the state. \nFor all the writing Cunningham has done\, however\, he said he doesn’t have the discipline or interest to write anything long form. \n“I really have no desire to write a book\,” he said matter-of-factly. “You could hold a gun to my head and I couldn’t write a book.” \nThat doesn’t mean Cunningham doesn’t appreciate a good read. In fact\, he is a voracious reader. \n“If you want to write well\, you have to read well\,” he said. “Reading ought to be as essential to your life as eating and drinking and\, indeed\, breathing.” \nCunningham was turned on to reading at age 16 when he discovered Webb Miller’s I Found No Peace: A Journey Through the Age of Extremes in an attic while working a summer job at a New England inn. \n“From the time I learned to read\, I wanted to write\,” Miller wrote at the very start of his book. \n“And I thought\, ‘Me\, too\,’” Cunningham said. “And from that summer\, I never wanted to be anything but a newspaper man.” \nCunningham offered  tips for effective writing: \n\nBrevity is indeed a virtue\, “especially in this social media/tweeting era when attention spans seem to be growing shorter by the very hour.”Keep the tone conversational by avoiding the language of lawyers\, academics\, engineers or\, “even worse\, land-use planners.”\nGrab your readers’ attention by making the first paragraph interesting\, intriguing and provocative.\nBe careful using irony\, satire and sarcasm because “some people will take you literally.”\nDon’t get personal. “If you can’t sway your audience on the basis of reasoning and the facts\, you shouldn’t do it.”\nDon’t be afraid to be in love with the sound of your own words.Write about things that are relevant to your life and that you are passionate about.\n\nFor his final tip\, Cunningham quoted “Alice in Wonderland’s” Red Queen—“Start at the beginning. Go through to the end. And stop!” \nLooking back at a half-century of writing\, Cunningham mused: “I still have this recurring nightmare that one day somebody is going to walk up to me while I’m typing away\, put his hand on my shoulder and say\, ‘How long did you think you could get away with this?’”
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/the-virtues-of-brevity/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150111T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150111T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150408T095639Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150408T095639Z
UID:462-1420986600-1420990200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Dragonflies\, Manatees and Snakes\, Lots of Snakes - Writing About Place
DESCRIPTION:Lambert’s Passion for Place is Crystal Clear  \nThere is not a single illustration in Sandra Gail Lambert’s debut novel\, The River’s Memory\, and yet each of its 238 pages comes alive with captivating imagery. For example\, in a passage written in her compelling first-person narrative\, Lambert invites you to skinny-dip with her young female character in the spring-chilled waters of Ocala’s Silver River. \nUnderwater grasses stroke down my back and bottom. Minnows gum at my heels. The water pushes me into the shallows\, and left sitting waist deep. Spikes of red flowers surround me. Mating dragonflies float through the air liked jeweled bracelets. Yellow swallowtails flicker around my nipples. \nSimply put\, Lambert paints with words. Her ability to describe settings in vivid sensory detail allows readers to immerse themselves in the environment her characters are experiencing. \nShe was kind enough to share her writing process during WAG’s first monthly meeting of 2015\, at the Millhopper Branch Library. She stressed the use of setting not just as a backdrop to stories but as a unifying force. The writer’s challenge is using distinct and evocative language. \nThe process did not come naturally to Lambert. “What I wrote early on was pure insomnia\,” she said\, eliciting chuckles from the audience. By reading other authors\, notably Randy Wayne White and his descriptions of Florida\, Lambert developed a knack for writing about place. \nShe often wraps the description around the plot. “My plot is revealed throughout the book\,” she said. “By the end\, it pulls together.” However\, there can be pitfalls. Lambert cautions writers about wanting to share all their research and becoming too absorbed in setting. \n“Any place will want to escape its bounds and take off\,” she said\, noting that she resisted going on ad nauseum “about the mating habits of dragonflies.” \nLambert not only uses place to develop characters\, she tells herself that the setting — in her case\, the river — is a character in itself with an omniscient point of view. “I got to write about a place close to my heart.” \nIn The River’s Memory\, Lambert introduces a number of female characters: “depressed women who have given birth to just too many babies that  die on them\, people escaped from slavery who lived quiet but dangerous lives on the Florida frontier\, disabled women who find a way to explore their worlds\, artists of pre-Columbian Florida who yearned for better materials and more skills.” \n“I know these type of people existed\, but their lives are lost to a formal historian\,” because\, of course\, no facts were recorded. “But as fiction writers\, we can believe in their existence and write their lives back into history of an era. Because there’s a way a novel can preserve history\, especially the history of women\, especially the history of marginalized people\, that would otherwise have been lost to us. We can meld history and story into a novel or story that perhaps reveals the emotional truth of an era. And that’s not a small thing to offer the world.” \nIn a question-and-answer period following her talk\, Lambert admitted\, “I never thought of myself as a creative person. I ran a bookstore.” Now she tells writers not to be discouraged by rejection letters\, especially when a publisher  goes through the trouble of providing a personalized response. \nIn addition to her book\, Lambert’s essays have appeared in the journals New Letters\, Brevity\, Water’s Stone\, Weekly Rumpus\, North American Review and Arts and Letters. \nLambert\, a longtime WAG member\, published The River’s Memory through Tallahassee-based Twisted Road Publications. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/dragonflies-manatees-and-snakes-lots-of-snakes-writing-about-place/
CATEGORIES:Speaker
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20141214T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20141214T220000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150408T095454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170926T190111Z
UID:460-1418580000-1418594400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Holiday Spirit: Celebrating a Year of Writing and Reading
DESCRIPTION:Although WAG’s annual member shindig on Sunday\, Dec. 14\, 2014 was a holiday party\, there was little doubt that the evening was more about a changing of the guard. Outgoing WAG president Art Crummer handed over the reins to Susie Baxter in the symbolic form of a 9-pound hammer and a large bucket of gravel (Susie had suggested by eMail a ceromony where Art passed the gavel\, but spell check had changed it to “gravel”). \nIn return\, Art received an Amazon gift card and a six-pack of a brew whose identity was kept secret\, for he cleverly left it part way in the lighted gift bag\, which blinked merrily away. \nThe potluck dinner allowed WAG members to showcase their favorite dishes and desserts. Food tables overflowed with baked ham\, chicken salad\, black-eyed peas\, casseroles\, corn pudding\, green salad\, fruit salads\, key lime pie\, apple pie\, brownies\, fudge\, tea and water. Some members even contributed bottles of wine. \nThe diversity of the food offerings contributed to the success of the party\, said WAG member Joan Carter.”Worked out better than having a caterer\, though it was a puzzle for those like me who don’t cook!” \nArt serenaded those in attendance with his unique brand of folk\, blues\, and swing music\, beginning with Don Groom’s ode to Payne’s Prairie\, “Vitachoocho\,” followed by Will McLean’s “Wild Hog” (in keeping with some of the organic\, free-range pork Mary Crummer provided). A number of original compositions followed (“I Never Ever Sing Old Lost Love Songs”\, “I’d Rather be Your Number Three”\, “Interstate I-75 Rag”\, and “Lovebug Blues”). He closed with “Elmer’s Tune” and “My Blue Heaven”. He was accompanied by WAG members Patsy Murray on fiddle (or was it violin?) and Jeffrey Shapiro\, his clarinet adding wind under Art’s lyrics. \nWAG members also took time to reflect on the loss of co-founder Kal Rosenberg\, who passed away on Nov. 11 after a battle with kidney disease. Kal would have enjoyed the camaraderie that he helped establish. He is missed.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/holiday-spirit-celebrating-a-year-of-writing-reading/
LOCATION:Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville\, 4225 NW 34th Street\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32615\, United States
CATEGORIES:Retreat
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20141109T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20141109T153000
DTSTAMP:20260620T131043
CREATED:20150311T224912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160507T180651Z
UID:184-1415543400-1415547000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Presentation by Editors and Writers of Bacopa Literary Review 2014
DESCRIPTION:Once again the editors of the Bacopa literary review\, the annual printed work of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville\, presented the master work of poetry\, short fiction and nonfiction. Winners of contests in each category were announced\, and selections were read by writers and editors. This was a not-to-be-missed meeting as WAG celebrated great submissions from around the world. \nBacopa Literary Review 2014\, the fifth annual volume of poetry\, creative nonfiction and fiction by authors from around the globe\, is published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville\, with contests and general submissions from authors anywhere with an internet connection. \nContest winners (receiving cash awards and publication) were announced and other selected submissions from Bacopa 2014 were read at the launch Nov 9. \nThe beautiful print copies are free to WAG members (pick up at any monthy meeting).
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/old-program-one/
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion
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